September 6, 2017 AT 5:00 am

How to Make a Simple Mermaid Tail #WearableWednesday #wearabletech #DIY #Arduino

Caitlinsdad has been busy on back-to-school outfits for his daughter, and a recent Tweet showed the beginnings of a mermaid tail. This is definitely the perfect thing for biology class. The tail borrows from his previous Instructable for Neopixel Light Up Fire and Ice Wings, which makes sense as Caitlinsdad is a master of re-use. The fashion was inspired by Adafruit’s favorite mermaid, Erin St. Blaine, who has been making serious underwater couture with LEDs for quite some time. The tech behind the white fabric is an Adafruit FLORA microcontroller and Neopixel strips. FastLED library was used, which is an alternative to the Adafruit Neopixel library. Each library has its own advantages, and in this case, there are some nice color palettes that can be used for an underwater theme. So, if you are thinking about an outfit that will win the disbelievers at your science fair, or get you attention at Halloween, consider stitching up some scales. You’ll want to read up on our learning guide Getting Started with FLORA. Not only will you learn the basics of loading a program onto this stitchable microcontroller, but you’ll also find out about sensors that can make your wearable react. Would you like to have a tail that can glimmer to music or the movement of your body? You can do that! Get ready to dive into a sea of electronics.